Model-View-Controller is a potent design used by ASP.NET Core MVC, where each component has a distinct role:

• Controller → Handles requests
• View (.cshtml) → Displays UI
• Model → Carries data

  

One common question for beginners is:
How does a .cshtml View know which controller it belongs to?

The simple answer is:

• Views never call controllers.
• Controllers call the views.

Let's break this down step-by-step.

1. MVC Routing: The Real Connection Between Controller and View
ASP.NET Core uses a default routing pattern:
/{controller}/{action}/{id?}
This means:

• The first part of the URL selects the controller
• The second part selects the action method inside that controller
• The view is determined by the action method

Example URL
/Account/Login

Meaning:

So when you open that URL, the framework:

• Finds AccountController
• Executes Login()
• Returns Login.cshtml

2. How Controllers Return Views
Inside a controller, you normally write:
public IActionResult Login()
{
return View();
}

When ASP.NET Core sees return View();, it looks for a .cshtml file that matches the action method name.

In this case:
Controller name → AccountController
Action method → Login()

So MVC loads the file here:

• Views/Account/Login.cshtml
• This is how the connection is made.

3. The View Folder Naming Convention
The MVC folder structure is very important:

Views
└── Account
    └── Login.cshtml

Rule 1 — Folder name = Controller name (without "Controller")
Controller: HomeController → Folder: Views/Home/
Controller: ProductController → Folder: Views/Product/

Rule 2 — View file name = Action method name
Action: Index() → View: Index.cshtml
Action: Details() → View: Details.cshtml

4. What If You Want to Load a Different View?
You can specify a different file name:
return View("CustomPage");

This loads:
Views/Account/CustomPage.cshtml

5. Shared Views
Sometimes you want a view that multiple controllers can use.

ASP.NET Core will look second in:
Views/Shared/

For example:
Views/Shared/Error.cshtml

6. Summary Diagram
User enters URL → MVC Routing → Finds Controller → Runs Action → Returns View (.cshtml)

Or visually:
/Account/Login
  ↓
AccountController
  ↓
Login() action
  ↓
Views/Account/Login.cshtml

Final Thoughts
The connection between .cshtml and controller is not magic —
it is handled through:

• Routing
• Folder naming conventions
• Action method names
• Return View() method

Once you understand this, the entire MVC workflow becomes easy.